“Jayla…” Her mother let out a long sigh full of burden. “Blind faith is dangerous. We can’t just trust their word.Ican’t trust them. Not after what he did to my sister.”
Noc’s arms hung loosely by his sides. “I wish there was more I could say or do to prove my innocence.” Remorse racked his expression, and an ache formed in the back of my throat. I hated to see him like this. For a brief moment, I entertained the idea of summoning Onyx. If he judged Noc’s claims and found him to be worthy, then maybe Elianna would, too. Except… My gaze roved to the queen. She wouldn’t value a beast’s approval like Charmers would. With Onyx’s invisible flames and the private commune he’d hold with Noc, Elianna wouldn’t evenseeanything. There’d be no physical confirmation of Noc’s truth, other than a purring legendary beast, which could just as easily be a sign that Onyx liked Noc. I even doubted a Nezbit—a rare, bunny beast that could discern truth from lie with its radar-like ears—would convince her.
Jayla tipped her head toward Noc. “Tell me exactly what happened to my aunt.”
With quiet sadness, Noc recounted the story of the time he’d crossed a high priestess. She’d used dark magic, sacrificing her own life to curse his existence, making it impossible for him to truly love another being without condemning them to death.
“When I finally realized the extent of my curse, I was already dead. There was no point in trying to come forward with this information. The war was over.” He looked up at Elianna, taking in her stoic expression. “I’m not sure anyone would’ve believed me, anyway.”
The queen remained still. Her shrewd gaze never left Noc as he spoke. A minute stretched by before she shook her head. “You’ve had decades to come up with a story for your crimes. I simply can’t accept it.”
“I…understand,” Noc said.
With a tight expression, Isla took a tentative step forward. “You mentioned dark magic.”
“Yes.”
“That kind of spellwork leaves a trace that can never be removed.” Slipping one hand into her coat pocket, she extracted a quartz crystal orb no larger than a river rock. “One of my kind crafted this. It can detect the presence of dark magic. If your story is true, then the stone should react.” She tipped her head in a bow to Elianna. “With your permission, of course.”
“Do it,” Jayla said. She gave her mother an apologetic look. “Please.”
Neck stiff, Elianna relented. “Fine.”
Isla’s gaze bounced between the two royals before she finally extended her hand. The spherical gem lifted into the air, hovering first above Isla’s palm before floating to a halt before Noc’s chest. I held my breath as we waited for the stone to react. Aside from the one interaction I’d had with Eryx, I’d never known another mage, let alone experienced their magic.
Within seconds, a dark swirling ink filled the stone. The darkness was absolute, so much so that the sphere looked more like a void waiting to consume our world. Isla grimaced as she snatched the gem and tucked it in her pocket. “He’s telling the truth. Dark magic was used against him.”
Elianna’s mouth went slack, and then she slammed it shut. With a hard shake of her head, she looked away. “This…this proves nothing. We have no way of knowing if his curse—”
“Mother, stop.” Jayla’s voice grew in strength, and she angled her chin high as she stared down the queen. “There is no one I respect more than you. No one wiser. I have spent my entire life learning from you. If this were anyone else, anyone but Noc, you’d believe them. He’s spoken the truth, and so has his queen.” She looked to me, her eyes softening, before once again regarding her mother. “We must acknowledge that Ocnolog is real and that our country is in danger. We need to protect our people, even if that means forming an alliance with Lendria.”
Elianna’s jaw hardened, but she said nothing.
“Give the queen and me some time to discuss this,” she said, turning back to us. “You may stay in the castle tonight and rest. Isla, escort them to our guest quarters and see they are cared for. We’ll have our answer for you first thing in the morning.”
“Thank you,” I said with a bow. Noc, Kost, Oz, and Calem followed suit, tipping their chins down before straightening. Pressing her lips together, the queen left without another word. Several guards took off after her, and Jayla closed the short distance between herself and our group, Isla and Maddox on her heels.
“I appreciate your honesty.” A warm smile graced the princess’s lips, and she bowed before me. “Please forgive my mother. She’s been through nothing but dark times her whole life.”
“I understand,” I said. “And I’m grateful both of you were willing to hear us out, no matter the outcome.”
Jayla nodded. “Isla, their rooms.”
“This way,” the mage said tersely. With a jerky wave, she indicated the closest corridor lined with brass light fixtures and smooth walls. Jayla bade us good night and then looped her arm through Maddox’s, following the same path her mother had taken minutes ago. No doubt they were in for a longer night than either of them had expected.
The winding hall deposited us in a wing of rooms manned by guards. Isla said nothing more to us. Instead, she simply nodded at each door and waited as we entered our respective rooms one by one. When Noc and I stepped into our quarters, we caught some muffled orders from her to the other guards, but nothing unexpected. None of us were permitted to leave, they were to notify her if anything out of the ordinary happened, and something about shift rotations. We were still a threat to the queen and to be treated as such, even though we’d been granted reprieve for the night.
Sighing, I turned my back on the door. Our modest room housed a bed, a pair of nightstands, an armoire, and a rycrim heater. The slate, conical structure dotted in red gems gave off a faint glow, and heat simmered around it. Somewhere in this city, a larger core must have existed. And for a brief moment, I wondered if Isla or her family had a hand in the magical developments of Rhyne. Mages used to call Lendria their home—as well as those like Eryx who visited our island country in secret—so their leftover artifacts and magical objects weren’t completely foreign. But here? I had no idea. Clearly, at least one mage had aligned herself with a country other than Allamere.
Another question for another time. Isla’s alliance with the royal family was her business, and as far as we were concerned, she was a Rhynelander. We’d need her support, along with the rest of the Queen’s Guard, in the days to come.
Letting out a long exhale, I made a beeline for the canopy bed. Sheer fabric was draped from the simple wooden beams and tied back to the posts with a maroon cord. I sank into the mattress and let out a sigh. After discarding his overcoat and hat on a rack near the door, Noc joined me, and I leaned my head on his shoulder.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” he said. “I expected Elianna to react that way. If I were in her position, we’d probably already be locked up or dead.”
“I don’t know if I believe that.”
